


The Meaning of Family

by Yunalystelle



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Gen, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26749672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yunalystelle/pseuds/Yunalystelle
Summary: While fishing with Alois, Byleth thinks about the life she led up until arriving at the monastery and what was missing.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth & Alois Rangeld
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	The Meaning of Family

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Fictober prompt "Fish".
> 
> Here I go writing fic for a game where I haven't even finished my first route. The desire to write Byleth & Alois bonding fic was just too strong.

"Professor!"

Byleth halted in her tracks at the sound of that familiar voice. Hearing heavy footsteps approach, she turned around to face Alois. As always, he had a beaming smile on his face. She nodded in acknowledgement.

"Good morning, Alois."

"Hm, yes, it is, isn't it? Not a cloud to be seen and the sun is shining brightly. You could almost just forget that we're supposed to be at war." Alois's smile faded slightly. "But of course, I suppose there's no forgetting something like that."

Byleth lowered her gaze, a quiet sigh slipping through her lips as her expression clouded.

"Still, I think the best thing we can do is try to stay positive in these trying times, right?" Alois placed his hand on his hip. "Won't do anybody any good if we're all moping." He shook his head. "You know, I think about my wife and daughter all the time. Of course I worry about them. But I've got to hold my head high and keep smiling."

"Right." Byleth nodded, her lips forming a faint smile. "I'll do my best too. I know my students would worry about me otherwise."

"So would I. We all care about you very much, Professor. Still, if anything is ever troubling you, don't hesitate to come to me, alright? I'll always be happy to help out."

"Thank you for your consideration."

"No need to thank me. Captain Jeralt tasked me with taking care of you after all." Alois turned his head, gazing in the direction of the fishing pond. "I quite fancy doing a spot of fishing. Who knows, maybe this will be the day I finally land the big one!"

Byleth put a hand to her cheek, her features rearranging into a frown. "Well... good luck with that, I guess."

"Why don't you join me?" Alois raised his arm. "It doesn't seem like you're terribly busy right now."

Thinking about it for a moment, Byleth responded with a nod. "Alright."

The two made their way over to the pond and sat down on the edge of the dock with their rods ready. It only took seconds before Byleth's rod was hooked and she swiftly reeled in a fish.

"You make it look so easy. Just like your father- huh? Wait a minute! Alright, I've hooked one! Yeah! Come here, you slippery little... huh?" Alois raised the line, blinking at the dangling hook with the bait still attached. He heaved a sigh. "It got away."

"It's because you're so loud," Byleth said, with a weary shake of her head. "You're scaring the fish away with your voice."

"Ahh. Right." Alois exhaled, rubbing his head. "I just get so excited whenever I hook one, I just forget. Okay, let's try again. This time I'm going to be quiet as a mouse."

"Good luck with that." Byleth cast her line once more.

"One of these days, I'd like to catch the biggest fish and take it home to show my family. They would be so surprised. And we'll sit down around the table and have ourselves a big fish dinner." With a wishful smile, Alois turned his gaze toward the sky. "Oh, to imagine the smile on my little girl's face."

Byleth glanced at him. "I haven't heard much about your daughter."

"Ahh, she's such a sweet little thing. I suppose she's not that little anymore but no matter how big she gets, she'll always be my little girl. She loves to draw pictures and tell stories, and she absolutely dotes on me. When I go home, she's always first to give me a hug. There's nothing quite like going home and getting to see my family."

Reeling in a fish and plopping it into the bucket, Byleth turned her attention back to him as she cast her line again. "I wonder, what is it like? Being a family?"

"Hm?" Alois's eyebrows raised slightly. "Well, let me see." He reached up to scratch his head. "Not all families are the same. Some families are happy, some not so much. I'm blessed to have a lovely wife and daughter, and we all love each other very much. Being together, sharing happy memories, eating around the table together, little things like that. It's hard to explain so simply."

Byleth added another fish to the growing pile in the bucket. She heard Alois let out a loud exclamation, followed by a soft curse. As expected, another one had got away, she surmised. "So that's what family is supposed to be like? It doesn't really sound all that different to life here at Garreg Mach."

"That's right. We're all like a big family here. And don't forget, I am your big brother after all." Alois smiled at her. "Maybe one day, you'll have a place of your own and a loved one waiting there for you, and have kids all of your own, and you'll get to hear them tell them how much they love you with big smiles on their faces. It always warms my heart when I hear my little girl say 'I love you, Papa'."

"I love you, huh," Byleth echoed quietly, pressing her lips together.

"Blast! There goes another one." Alois sighed and lowered the rod. He looked at Byleth. "You look so serious all of a sudden. I suppose you must be thinking about Captain Jeralt."

"I hardly ever smiled for him. I never even told him I loved him." A prickling sensation scorched the back of Byleth's eyes and she swallowed. "No, it was more like... I couldn't feel love at all. I didn't know what it even was back then."

"Hey." Alois clapped a hand on her shoulder. "I have no doubt that you cared for Captain Jeralt even if you weren't aware of it and I know that he loved you very much. You were the most important person in his life. Like I said, not all families are the same. The two of you might not have had the most normal family life but I'm sure you were both happy."

Byleth blinked and wiped her moist eyes. She slowly shook her head. "I didn't even know back then what it meant to be happy. I had no understanding of emotions. Why did people laugh or cry? Those actions were completely alien to me. So it's strange to say I was happy. I just didn't feel back then. When I think about the past now, I feel..."

Alois silently gazed at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Sad," Byleth said finally. "I miss him. I miss everything about him, even his drinking. When he died, I just felt so empty. All I wanted to do was cry." Her voice wobbled. "Why?" She hunched over, sniffling as the tears coursed down her cheeks. "Why couldn't I have laughed with him, smiled for him and told him I loved him? I just wish he could be here."

"Hey. It's alright." Alois put an arm around her. After a moment, she ended up leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder. "Just let it all out. I'm sure Captain Jeralt is watching over you right now. He must be very happy to see you continuing to get along with us all. And probably despairing at how bad I still am at fishing."

A stifled laugh passed through Byleth's lips and she cracked a smile. "Yeah." She broke away from him and wiped her eyes. "I've never cried on someone's shoulder before."

"My shoulder will always be available if you need it. Just ask." Alois turned his gaze toward the oond, letting out an exhale. "Hey, I just had a thought. How would you like to meet my wife and daughter? We could have dinner together sometime. I'm sure my daughter would love to meet her aunt."

"Aunt?" Byleth repeated, blinking at him.

"Sure, if I'm your big brother, that makes you my little girl's aunt, don't it? Won't she be pleased to learn she has an aunt now? And I'm sure you'd get along well with my wife too. So, how about it?"

Byleth looked out toward the pond for a brief moment. Nodding, she met Alois's gaze with a smile. "Yes. I think I would like that very much."

"Great." Alois beamed. "It's a promise then."


End file.
